Alex James's Date Night - Saturday 7 March 2015

Join Alex as he surveys the week ahead in classical music, picking out all the events, birthdays and ‘on this day’ occasions that matter.

Alex's highlights this week include the story behind the premiere of Elgar’s famous Introduction and Allegro for Strings. Though initial critical reception was lukewarm at best, the score soon came to be recognized as a masterpiece.

Then Alex has the tale of what happened when Rachmaninov’s music was banned from being performed or studied in the Soviet Union.

And Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.21 was performed for the first time this week, Ravel joined the army, and there are birthday celebrations for William Lloyd-Webber – composer, teacher and father of Andrew and Julian - born in London on 11th March 1914.